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Mushroom stew (Topala de ciuperci)

It's normal for me (like others like me) to have my ego when it comes to our own cuisine. And the Romanian one is not despised at all.Even if, it was an attribute of Gypsies and peasants, who wore with pride their national clothes when they were cooked for high society, the French, Austro-Hungarian, Russian, Turkish, Greek influences(or who have been here previously), everything have been contributed to the fulfillment of the kitchen which makes honor to this nation.Great Master in grilled but in saying with passion of a music that grease your ears and soul too, the Romanian known to take from each what was good and cast it on the base created by ancestors who knew what they have to do. Really now '... do you think they would have anyway's with stuffed cabbage or polenta ahead of a chef grown up in the hand of a conservative French Culinary Institute or under the Careme finger's shadow pointing his cheek?The famous French gourmet critic, Jean-Luc Petritenaud, in a moment of absolute sincerity, said: "Don't be ashamed of your authentic foods ! Contrary, do everything to promote it! "Here yes, I like what I hear and how, God forgive me, to be ashamed with my polenta, cabbage rolls, kozunacs, cakes, Kürtőskalács or with my magiun, virsli, pies or stews ?And, for all the meanings, still to the Frenchman's knowledge I must go; no matter how I hanging my words among the world pots, I might be able to say WRONG to his saying: "L' humanite se nourrit. Le francais dine"(Humanity feeds, French has a lunch.) but, I won't do it. And that's of respect for the world pots in whose bellies and flavors I stir my spoon.And, what bigger credit I can give to the versatility of the Romanian cuisine when, Pastorel Teodoreanu said what he said in his culinary writings " De Re Culinaria":

"There's no chronicler, but a parrot

who shamelessly repeats

prosaic culinary recipes

As we found in the "cookbook's karat."

(Pastorel Teodoreanu - Predoslovenie*)

Mushroom stew & "little fleas"

Mushroom stew or Topala de ciuperci or Ciulama de ciuperci, being a product of Transylvanian cuisine (Western part of Romania) is a white roux sauce used in a variety of meat dishes. I just replaced meat with mushroom. Great taste and flavor. I don't give to you any measurements because Topala is a kind of dish made with soul for soul. So...

Directions:

Saute chopped green onion in heated olive oil. Add chopped mushrooms and stir in for few times till soften, then add milk. Let it boil then add a thick sauce made from 1-2 tsp white wheat flour mixed with 1-2 tbs of thick sour cream.You can add at this level salt and pepper or just can do it at the end.

Let topala to boil till you get a smooth and fine sauce. Remove from the heat and add chopped fresh garlic or, as I used to do, garlic powder. A handful of chopped fresh dill is more than welcomed. It's up on your taste. The original topala has no dill in it.

It can be served with polenta, bread or puricei (little fleas), a kind of thick and cold polenta(mamaliga) what's broken with a fork, poured with salt and garlic and fried in a very small amount of pork fat or oil till golden.